1. Field of the Invention
The present teachings relate to in-vehicle systems and methods of using in-vehicle systems. In particular, the present teachings relate to an in-vehicle system and method that communicates with a driver via speech and recognizes and responds to the driver's speech.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Current in-vehicle speech recognition (SR) systems in vehicles made by Honda and Acura, as well as vehicles made by other automakers, are operated by a driver using a hard switch located on a steering wheel. The switch may be referred to as a talk switch. Pressing the talk switch to activate the SR is sometimes referred to as “opening the microphone.” After opening the microphone, audio volume may be decreased, fan speed may be lowered, and the SR system may be activated. The SR system may emit a beep sound, or a similar sound, to inform a user that the microphone is open and ready to receive an utterance of the user.
In order to make a verbal request or query using a current in-vehicle SR system, the user is required to press the talk switch to open the microphone and activate the SR system. However, if the user is otherwise occupied and fails to press the talk switch to make a request or query, beneficial or crucial information may not be provided to the user.